Just starting out - Bridge Camera

djayk · Jun 6, 2015

Hi All,

So I have always had an interest in Photography but have not done much about it, until now. I don't have a huge budget and would need to be able to buy on Amazon as I have some gift vouchers that would help to the cost.

As much as I would like a DSLR, I can't currently afford the cost and don't know enough about photography to use that sort of camera to its full potential.

I have been doing some research in to Bridge Cameras and one camera that keeps popping up is the Panasonic Lumix FZ200

The only downsides that I can see with this camera is the optical zoom at only 24x compared to a few other Bridge Cameras with larger range and only has a 12.1mp sensor.

Would this be a good camera for a beginner like myself to get into the realms of photography or is there something better on the market for around £250 - £275

Thank you in advance

rudimaes · Jun 6, 2015

The FZ200 is a good allround bridge, with a fast F2.8 zoomlens.
24x zoom is more than enough in most circumstances.
That's it is only 12mp helps a bit for taking better low light pictures, together
with the fast zoomlens.
For it's price you won't find a better superzoom. It's not DSLR quality but it's a good camera to start with.
Rudi

djayk · Jun 6, 2015

Thanks Rudi,

As a complete novice I wanted to make sure that it was a good all rounder as from experience of reviews of other technology a high score in one area might still mean it performance under par overall when compared to something else.

Hopefully it will turn out to be a great little starter Camera.

Wish me luck

soufiej · Jun 6, 2015

Get the numbers out of your head. Yes, there are reasons for wanting "X" spec. But "X" spec doesn't ensure you will be satisfied with the component or find anything "better" that is any more useful. "Better" is a word that really should be banned on forums such as this. It is a word that means nothing in reality. Whatever you buy today will be made obsolete by something "better" tomorrow. So buy what you need and don't allow the idea of buying "the best" get in your way of buying something you can use today. If you think it is the equipment which is not up to snuff, every bad photo you take - and we all still take bad photos - will be blamed on the gear rather than on your mistake which you can correct.

Any zoom lens is a compromise. The greater the zoom, the greater the chances the compromises will be more noticeable. Therefore, any zoom has already defeated your intentions of buying "better". Set the lens to a single focal length where it's problems are minimized and work with that value only. There! now the issues of the camera getting in your way have been minimized. Learn to see, not zoom.

Is an automobile "better" when it has 300 hp and not 200 hp? Is an amplifier "better" when it has 200 watts and not 50 watts? The answer to both questions is, "No". Static specs mean something in a lab and specs are used to sell the gear, not to use the gear. It is in the using that you find "better".

You cannot simply pull one number out of any electronic component and make a judgement about quality. You are buying an electronic system when you buy a camera. It cannot be reduced to a pixel count, zoom capacity or f-stop value. Take what you can afford and learn how to use it to its best advantage. Because there are always advantages if you are smart enough to find them. And there are far more values which make a good photo than pixel count.

The Panasonic is a good camera in its class. There are several good cameras in that class IMO. Which one you buy is not as important as simply buying one and beginning to learn the ins and outs of making a good photograph.

rudimaes · Jun 6, 2015

Best of luck. Hope you like it, like thousands of peoples, who bought the camera before you.

Here you find the free ebook by Graham Houghton "The Panasonic Lumix FZ200 User's Manual"
Download section - Graham s Photo Blog

And here you find many tutorial videos on the camera, by the same author.
graham houghton panasonic fz200 - YouTube
Rudi

TCampbell · Jun 6, 2015

24x is quite a bit. If that were a DSLR camera (e.g. Nikon or Canon camera with an APS-C size sensor) then 24x would be the equivalent of using a 676mm lens on such a camera... or slightly more than 1000mm lens on a full-frame DSLR (at least with respect to magnification -- other optical factors would be different.)

robbins.photo · Jun 6, 2015

I owned an Fz200 myself before going to a full DSLR setup and I do recommend it. For a bridge camera it really is a very good choice.

djayk · Jun 6, 2015

Thank you all for your advice

Bebulamar · Jun 6, 2015

My DSLR has 16 MP and a 1X optical zoom and it cost me $3000. The very long zoom isn't very useful and a lot of time unusable. 12MP isn't a lot but certainly enough.